Mother Virginia Jefferson
Altha Grove Longest Living Member
August 14, 1912 - June 10, 2024

On June 10th, 2024, Mother Virginia Jefferson peacefully entered eternal rest. Over 111 years, she lived through the Great Depression, two World Wars, Jim Crow, the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and President John Kennedy, the Civil Rights Movement, the terror attacks, the death of her husband Malcolm, and her adult daughter, Langhorne.
Virginia, the fifth child of Alonza and Othelia Craighead Davis, was born in Bedford County, Virginia. She had eight siblings and lived on a farm, helping with many chores until she was 17. Over the years, she worked as a maid and a pastry baker for 42 years beside her husband at the Boonsboro Country Club. Besides being an accomplished baker, Virginia played golf, taught herself how to play the piano, and loved to sing in the church choir.
While still spry and agile, Virginia drove herself until 106, and “she” decided to stop driving. A lifelong member of Altha Grove, she didn’t exactly know her secret to longevity but attributed it to her hardworking demeanor and God. She said, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.”